


Phoenix evening

by ryandarke



Category: Queen of the South (TV)
Genre: Drinking & Talking, F/M, Think this is what you'd call drabble, and SMUT, gratuitous appreciation of shoulders and biceps not gonna lie, hope they got some time to enjoy each other before it went south bless 'em, in that post 309 pre 310 slot, more smut than I've dared try before...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 14:09:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19174891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryandarke/pseuds/ryandarke
Summary: A light blend of domestic bliss in the sweet spot of 309-310, with one or two notes of issues beneath, and a decent helping of spice and smut to finish (love the word SMUT btw - so onomatopoeic, does what it says on the tin)





	Phoenix evening

**Author's Note:**

> Same rules apply - still no way of checking the small details from S3. 
> 
> This was written in direct response to the appeal from mymostimaginaryfriend for some jeresa feeding - felt like having been so well fed by her and so many others during hiatus and now with S4, it was the least I could do. And spurred on by the wise words of ladytharen: knowing a fic is likely going to be read by one person, maybe two if you’re lucky, but still writing it is honestly part of why fandom exists. do it anyway.
> 
> Have to say 2 other things first though: 1. work is crazy right now, so it was a choice between finetuning and polishing or just posting it a bit raw. Went with the latter, coz I really need to do some work now!! Priorities... 2. Not sure all the cartel business stuff rings true, but also sure that I don't want to be well versed in drug cartel business and its lingo!

Sundowns had long held a certain magic about them for Teresa. Something to do with the transition from fading day to edgier night, the precarious hovering between light and dark, reveling in the colors of a setting sun, wanting to hold onto it as darkness inevitably encroached. Tonight was particularly vivid – pinks and oranges blurred together as the sun dipped and Teresa took another sip of her wine. She adored this aspect of James’ place, and appreciated again that he’d been happy to give her the top deck, all glass and panoramic splendor, views for miles around. It gave her a liberating sense of space and freedom, yet the height of it also gave her a feeling of safety and security that she found she craved. Having experienced it here, she suspected she’d always seek it out wherever else she moved in her life. And however good business, and life, was here in Phoenix, she was already sure that a move wasn’t too far in the future. 

With a serene smile, she returned her attention to the laptop. Phoenix was proving to be good business and their operation was running smoothly. So what was their next move? Camila was still out there, ever more blinded and fixated on revenge than on running a profitable business. Was it possible to step into the space that had been occupied until recently by the Jimenez cartel? Boaz was on the ropes and Cortez might be moving in but surely underneath the expediency of working with Cortez and Camila, there were people who had loyalty to the Jimenez family? Was that a reason to come to some sort of arrangement with Boaz? Was there a deal to make there? Was it too soon? Teresa took another look out the window, then picked up her glass and headed downstairs. At this time of day, she suspected she’d find James working out. 

She appeared at the door to see him bench pressing. Sweat glistened on his arms and shoulders. Finishing a set of reps, he turned to her.  
‘Hey.’

‘How much have you got on there?’

‘120. Why?’

‘Just asking. That’s more than twice me.’

James smiled, surprised but amused by the direction of this conversation.

‘Did you want something or are you just passing the time of day with your glass of red?’

‘No, I wanted to chew something over with you. About Boaz.’

‘OK. Give me 15, 20 minutes?’

‘Sure,’ she said and pulled herself away from the view, returning to the rooftop view instead. 

The lights of Phoenix were twinkling against a navy sky when James appeared at the top of the stairs. 

‘Come and get some food with me?’ 

He was freshly showered, curls dark, damp and unruly, dressed in black jeans and a white T shirt, arms and shoulders visible and swollen from his workout, even where they were covered by his T shirt. Teresa took in the whole visage with a high degree of approval, no doubt accentuated by the Merlot. Grabbing her now-empty wine glass, she followed him downstairs. 

James set about making one of those revolting protein concoctions that Teresa thought unnecessary, whilst James asked if Pote had left anything to eat. Teresa perused the contents of the refrigerator. 

‘There’s some pollo picado that we had earlier. D’you want me to put some together for you?’

‘I want to be able to eat it, Teresa.’

Teresa raised herself from behind the refrigerator door and swiped him with a backhand in the stomach. She didn’t know where this standing joke about her culinary skills had come from, but she had acquired a reputation for being a disaster in the kitchen and truth be told, she was happy to leave Pote to all that. But that was a low blow… James arched back to avoid the playful swipe, not completely successfully, and carried on drinking his protein shake regardless.

‘Fine,’ she huffed in mock anger and went to re-fill her glass instead. James sorted his own pollo picado out, grabbed a beer and they headed back upstairs to the top of the house. 

‘So,’ said James, settling onto the couch with food and fork, ‘Boaz…’

‘Well, Jimenez territory. Is there an opportunity to take it over? Boaz is on the back foot and on the run, so potentially there is an opportunity for us. But I suspect that much of the organisation there is loyal to the family, so if Camila and Cortez slip up at all, it wouldn’t take much for everything to swing back to Boaz, so it might be possible to do a deal with him, on the basis that we’re not Camila and Cortez. What do you think?’

James thought for a moment, appreciating another of Pote’s masterpieces. 

‘I think it’s too early to take it ourselves. We’d be overstretching and taking a risk that we don’t need to take. I think you’re right that at some point Camila and Cortez will overstretch themselves and Boaz will find a way back. Manuel built a pretty tight network and some of those ties go back a few generations now. He treated them well, treated them fairly, rewarded them.’

‘What was he like?’ 

‘Manuel? He was a pretty good guy. He was tough, he could be ruthless. But he knew that good business meant give and take, and calculated compromise. You could make a deal with him and expect it to be honored. Well, as much as you can expect it of anyone in this business. I liked him when I met him. Epifanio and Camila always respected him.’

‘Is it true that Boaz killed him?’

‘That’s what everyone suspects. It’s the kind of thing that Boaz would do.’

‘So if that’s what people suspect, and people thought Manuel was a good guy, why would they stay so loyal to Boaz?’

‘I don’t think they’ve got much choice at the moment. You’d try to stay on the right side of him, even though he might turn for no good reason at all. Plus he’s Jimenez, not Vargas, and that matters. But you’re not Vargas either. There’s your opportunity. Wait for Boaz to come back, make the deal with him, and wait till he screws up. He will. He can’t help himself.’

‘Will he make a deal?’

‘If he’s weak enough to need it. The other question is will he accept a female boss.’

‘You do,’ she said mischievously.

James raised his eyebrows at that. ‘I’m not Boaz,’ he said pointedly. 

‘Fair enough. Just kidding.’

‘If you’re going to work with Boaz, you’d best be prepared for the worst. He will try to turn you over some day. When that day comes, what are you prepared to do? How far are you prepared to go? You might have to find a bit of Camila in you at some point.’

‘I’m not Camila,’ she shot back, disturbed by the connection. ‘Let’s not talk about that.’

‘Why not? Better that you’ve thought about it before you have to make the call.’

Teresa contemplated the inside of her wine glass and inadvertently chewed her lip. She hoped James would move on but he simply finished his food and put the bowl on the floor. He picked up his beer and took a mouthful. Still the silence held, as he refused to let her out of this, forcing her either to address the issue out loud or to consciously dodge it.

‘Truth?..... Maybe you’re right and maybe I will have to find that coldness. But it scares me, James. I know I’ve shifted from where I started out. I was too optimistic about being able to do this without bloodshed. But we took out Pecas and Mayo when we had to. I’m not scared of those decisions.’

‘So what are you scared of?’

‘I’m scared of being Camila’s level of coldblooded. I’m scared of going into situations, already planning what we’re going to have to do. Knowing before we start out that we will have to take Boaz out. What if that means we assume the wrong thing? What if we act from what we think he’s doing, rather than what he’s actually doing? It feels like we’re setting the plays up, setting up the chessboard and manoeuvring people into positions, because of what we think they’re thinking, not what they’re actually thinking. What if we misjudge them and push them into positions that they didn’t need to be in? It makes me feel I’m disconnecting from people and losing sight of the fact that they are people, not pieces in a game.’

Teresa paused and turned to stare out of the window. James kept quiet, suspecting there was more to come, just giving her the space to say what she needed to say. 

‘Where does it stop? Where do you draw the line and decide that you are going trust certain people and not try and calculate their moves? Just accept that they’re on your side and that their intentions are good? Can you ever trust anyone completely? If I think about it too long, I can even suspect that one day Pote could poison his pollo de crema.’

‘You know that’s ridiculous.’

‘I know but…’

‘Pote would never risk his chef’s reputation like that. He’d off you some other way.’

Teresa looked at him and couldn’t help but smile, which then eased into a gentle laugh, one of those laughs that came from her eyes and her whole body relaxed, Teresa at her loveliest. Her affection for him deepened further right there, appreciating the humor that lightened the moment but knowing that he’d heard her, he’d listened, given her the space to get the thoughts that troubled her out in the open, where they tended to feel less malevolent and threatening somehow. He gave her a safe place to express her fears openly and expose her vulnerability in a way that wouldn’t feel quite appropriate with Pote.

‘Seriously, though. I hear what you’re saying. Can you ever know that anyone is completely trustworthy? Probably not. You’re as close to 100% as you’re ever likely to get with Pote. If it helps, I trust him completely with you. With anyone else? Trust them as much as you need to, weigh up the residual risk and protect yourself from the downside of it. I know that’s easier said than done when there’s a lot on the line and it’s not a precise science. You’re not Camila – you’re a million miles from Camila and no matter how hard you try, you will never be that coldblooded. But she used to say you should never go into business with anyone till you know their weakness. And she’s not wrong. Work out what it is that’s going to compromise your dealings with them and go in with your eyes open. Sometimes you’ll get it wrong, people will disappoint you. Sometimes, they’ll surprise you. And when that happens, when people show you their true colors, believe them. But I think you have to remain true to yourself as well, Teresa, and that seems to include giving people a level of trust at the outset. You want to do things your way and for the sake of your integrity and who you are, you should hold onto that. Don’t lose sight of that.’

It had been quite a sermon, so quietly delivered. Teresa wondered where it came from but reminded herself that this was exactly what she valued about James. He was generally a cooler head than she was, a watchful observer of people and events, who took everything in and considered it objectively and analytically. They might not always agree on the conclusions or the subsequent actions, but she always valued and respected his counsel. 

‘Have you ever trusted anyone completely then?’ she asked lightly.

‘Yeah.’

‘Did it work out?’

‘So far so good.’

Teresa paused. She was pretty damn sure she’d understood that, but she wasn’t in a place to reciprocate. Her mind had latched onto something he’d said just now: when someone shows you their true colors, believe them. What were his true colors? The vast majority of what she’d seen was good but there was a niggling issue. She decided not to go there now.

‘What about Afghanistan?’

‘How d’you know I was in Afghanistan?’

Teresa paused again. How did she know? She was sure she did, though. 

‘I know you were military. I just assumed you would have done at least one tour over there.’

It was James’ turn to pause and reflect. Given how open Teresa had been with him just now, and how he’d pushed her with his silence, it didn’t seem fair to hold back on her and shut it down. But this wasn’t ground he particularly wanted to go over right now. She sensed his reticence and gave him a way out. 

‘Tell me some other time?’ 

‘Yeah. I mean, you’re right, I did serve over there and there’s nothing especially out of the ordinary to tell, I mean, I'm not trying to hide anything but…’

‘S’okay. It’ll keep,’ Teresa’s gentle smile and the tiniest nod of her head made it easy. A moment passed then James reached out across the arm of the sofa and took her hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezed gently. Teresa’s thumb rubbed the top of his hand just twice and they looked up at each other. Neither said a word and no words were needed. For such a small gesture, a multitude was conveyed; gratitude, compassion, understanding and no small degree of trust that they would take great care with each other’s sensitivities and vulnerabilities. 

‘How about we take this stuff downstairs, I need another beer. And your glass is empty. Again.’ James stood up, reaching out to pull Teresa up with him

Teresa took the jibe in the humor it was intended and backhanded him again, slightly more forcefully this time. Her hand made a pleasing connection with firm abdominal muscle. Three generous glasses of good wine had had a mellowing effect. The sight of him working out, the white t-shirt and the ripped musculature had quite another effect. 

They trooped downstairs, refilled Teresa’s glass, grabbed another beer and returned. Conversation flowed; everyday chit-chat about goings-on at the winery under the tender care of ‘Priscilla’, which culminated with Kelly Anne’s efforts to convince Pote to join her at her spin class. The image of Pote even considering the possibility reduced them both to laughter, slightly at Pote's expense but it was so incongruous that even he would have seen the funny side of it. Eventually. The sight of James freely laughing was something Teresa had seen little of. It reminded her of their first day together, standing at security at the airport, with James putting on a great act of relieved levity at making their flight in the nick of time. As pissed as she was with him at the time, she’d clocked his ability to mask his real feelings so effectively, even if it had gotten short shrift from both the stony-faced agent and herself. That grin came right from his eyes, not just his mouth, took years off him. Cocky pendejo, she’d thought. Now she just loved how it transformed his face. 

Teresa stood up. It was getting late. James was comfortably slouched down against the arm of the sofa, right arm flung above his head, left arm crooked with his hand resting haphazardly on his forehead. His t-shirt rode up slightly, exposing just a small amount of his waist at the right-hand side. She’d waited long enough. She climbed over him and knelt either side of his thighs and her hands reached towards the bare skin. Her hands slid under his T-shirt and glided slowly upwards over his body and deliberately over his nipples. And slowly, deliberately back down again. James breathed in deeply and brought his arms down to steady Teresa around her hips. Repositioning her knees under his hold, she lowered herself to sit gently on top of him and felt what she expected to feel, easing her hips backwards and forwards along his length, feeling him respond further to her. She gathered the hem of his T-shirt in her hands and pushed it up, then coaxed him into letting go of her momentarily, to raise his torso and allow her to pull the T shirt off. James’ hands returned to her ass as she bent forward and started planting the gentlest of kisses on his stomach, just above the waistband of his jeans. Inch by inch she kissed her way up his body, from time to time, playfully nipping him with her teeth. She was painstakingly slow in her progress, controlling the pace, making him wait, refusing to rush, listening to the response in his breathing, his heartbeat and feeling his hands smoothing her back under her own T-shirt. Deftly, he unclipped her bra, giving him free movement over her back. Finally, she reached the top of his chest and raised her head, looking straight into deep brown eyes but flicking her gaze suggestively, lingeringly to his mouth. She unconsciously licked her lips then dipped forward and kissed him. Their mouths instantly opened to each other, searching each other, hungry for each other. Their hands mirrored each other’s, sliding into their hair, pushing each other further and further on. Breathlessness broke the embrace, with Teresa scrabbling to pull just her bra off before James took the initiative and pulled her T shirt off too. She returned her attention to his mouth but left enough room and enough of her attention to slide her hand down over his body to the button on his jeans. She flicked it open and made enough room to wriggle her hand inside, finding what she was looking for and stroking him over the fabric of his shorts. 

His breath caught in the back of throat, as she stroked him more insistently. 

‘Fuck, Teresa…’ he gasped, as she nuzzled and nipped at his neck. He loved her confidence and how comfortable she was initiating sex, leading the way, making sure she got what she wanted as well as being deliciously generous in return. How much she downright enjoyed it. 

Teresa withdrew her hand and sat up, rubbing her crotch over his cock instead and looking into his face to see what she’d done to him. He looked wrecked. She smoothed her hands over his biceps and shoulders and whispered, ‘This is where it all started tonight’.

With that, he took control. He sat up, braced his right arm under her ass and stood up in one fluid movement, confirming that yes, her weight was absolutely nothing to him. She hooked her legs around his waist and kissed him as he carried her to the bedroom. He lowered her onto the bed before stripping his already-open jeans off and out of the way. Climbing onto the bed next to her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard, grabbing her ass and pulling her in as close as he could get her at this point. Returning the delicious torment she’d inflicted on him earlier, he kissed her neck and her breasts, rolling his tongue over one nipple while his hand gently but insistently massaged the other. Her breathing was getting ragged as his hand found its way into her shorts. He rubbed her with the flats of his fingers, feeling her arch into the pressure and pressed on to find her opening. She gasped. 

‘You’re wet,’ he said, in a low drawl that only ever inflamed the situation further. She looked straight at him, eyes slightly hooded, breath not fully in control, and she nodded. The anticipation needed to end now. 

‘Fuck me, James,’ she whispered. ‘Fuck me.’

**Author's Note:**

> A slightly abrupt ending. For us anyway... 
> 
> Huge relief and delicious anticipation, actually, at jeresa related hints and comments emerging from 4x01 and after. SO envious of you guys who get to watch it - it looks great! And to everyone who's posting... love love love this fandom. Thank you.


End file.
